How Do I Quilt my First Quilt? (Photo attached, too!)
 

I just pieced my first project, a simple 9 patch wall hanging, and I don't know what pattern to use to quilt it. I've attached a photo here and I sure would appreciate some suggestions.

I really am looking for something simple and traditional. I do have a machine with some really snazzy quilting stitches, but I haven't practiced with any of them yet.

Thanks so much!
Deb

I would probably do a stitch in the ditch on the nine patches and continue those lines down and across so that the solid yellow blocks look like 9 patches also.

What a beautiful quilt!! I love the colors. I like the previous suggestion, or you could do diagonal lines.

What thread should I use?
 

I've seen everything on Youtube from clear polyester to cotton. What would you suggest? If a color, would you go with the dark green that I used to piece it?

Thanks you, sewplease. I do love the colors, too!

I'm a big fan of diagonal quilting. For me it is easier than stitch in the ditch. It's a good beginner pattern. As for thread, it all depends on how much you want the quilting to show. I tend to pick a color that blends as much as possible to hide my goofs. One good way to decide is to just lay different colored threads on the quilt. Pick the one that you like best.

Great first project. Happy quilting.

I would most likely stitch in the ditch and a simple heart or something similar in the lighter fabric. The fabrics you chose are beautiful!

love the colors... i'd do a single design in the light squares and SID in the patches

What a lovely first quilt! I also think the simple geometrics with straight lines are a good quilting choice - SITD or diagonal would both do very well. I think I would choose a yellow thread that blends with the yellow squares. The glorious thing about quilting batiks is how forgiving they are so even if your straight lines (or whatever motif you choose) are not perfect the batiks will camouflage them. Post more pictures when you are finished!

Alison

Agree with stitch in the ditch. You did a great job!

What a marvelous first quilt! You did good! I like the idea of the diagonal lines, too.

I did diagonal lines on my first quilts. I think they look great! I will still do diagonal for a quick quilt job on a smaller quilt.

Really like your colors, great job.

I would love to see it quilted in a variegated thread that has both green and gold in it. If you are brave, you could try a design in the gold blocks and stitch in the ditch in your 9 patch blocks.

I like Patti's idea as well as this idea. With doing SITD along the 9-patch seams extending them through the solid blocks, I would use a varigated thread with similar colors.

I like to do diagonal stitching as well. I think the varigated thread would also do well for it.

Can't add any new ideas here... just wanted to say great job!

You did a great job for your first quilt. The colors are great too. I would go with gold and diagonal stitching. That is pretty simple and looks great. If you don't want to go with gold, the dark green would look nice too. Show us the finished product. Your corners are perfect.
Sue

Agree. Cross-hatch is one of my favorites.

What a great quilt! I would do a meander fmq with a variegated yellow thread.

I think diagonal would look nice but I also think stitching 1/4" in from each seam would look nice too. I think SID is more difficult sometimes. You did a beautiful job with colors and piecing.

Really beautiful quilt. Love the colors.

Nice quilt! What color thread are you going to use and what do you want to show up. Do you want your quilting to be the main focus point or is it just the quilt? I would do spirals in your squares block, do a flower motif (for me it would be sunflowers) in your open block, then I would quilt leaf vines all around your boarder. I would hold up different color threads to the quilt to see which thread gives you the desired effect you want. Looks like it will be a fun quilt to quilt. :thumbup:

I really think diagonal across going from corner to corner on small blocks continueing across the solid blocks. Going this way you material has some give and doesn't bunch up in front of you needle so bad.
Good luck on a beautiful quilt

I love your choice of fabrics!

Your quilt is lovely! The swirls on the beige blocks speak to me and they're saying simple "straight lines please". Anything else would detract from the beautiful red swirls of color. Maybe a diagonal cross hatch of sorts on those blocks? or you could stitch lines to immitate the 9 patch blocks in your quilt?

Whatever you decide, you can use clear plastic/dry erase marker to try out a pattern. Lay it on your quilt block to see if you like it. I save the stiff clear plastic from toy boxes for this use.

Love your fabrics and you did a great job. All the suggetions here are great!

What a wonderful choice of fabrics! I happened to see a show on The Quilt Show featuring Edyta Sitar and she gave what I think is a great tip. She uses Aurofil number 2370 and 2310 50 wt. for quilting all her tops. She says it blends with her choices of pattern and color. Your wall hanging has a similar color emphasis and this thread color may answer your question about what thread to quilt with.

Lovely quilt! I'd do a SITD and use a dark beige/dark gold thread as it appears the print on the yellow and parts of the main print have those colors. I'd carry that stitching down through the yellow/gold area as though it were a nine patch, too, to keep it simple. I'd carry that stitching through the borders too. It's a beautiful quilt. Practice some various stitches on a baby quilt or maybe use a little free motion practice on various blocks of a baby quilt. Different textures are fascinating for babies anyway.

...or, since these are fall colors, perhaps you could do an leaf outline in the lighter squares. You could draw a template from a real oak leaf, or maybe your machine does something like that.

Beautiful quilt, by the way!

Your wall hanging is beautiful and you did a terrific job! I also like the idea of SITD, carrying the lines through the yellowish blocks. Trying to imagine thread color . . . I keep seeing a dark gold.

Please share a picture of it, when it's finished. It's gonna be gorgeous!

I love the fabric and colors. Be sure to post the finished quilt.

you say that you have a "machine with some snazzy stitches" Are these regular embroidery stitches or designs that you would quilt with the embroidery module or larger motifs? You don't indicate which of these or whether you just want to use a decorative stitch to somewhat straight line quilt. This informatiokn would be helpful.
So in relaity, not all the pertinent information is here.

I am a beginning quilter and would love to see a picture of the finished quilt as I have trouble imagining the different results. Your quilt is very nice.

I would do simple squares in dark green thread. Just stitch all the way down vertically, then turn and do the same thing horizontally. Your quilt is gorgeous, btw. Wonderful fabric choices!

Lovely ! No one ever comments that although many machines have the fancy stitches you are not able to use many of them for quilting. ---WHY ? ----because if you need to use the walking foot you can not do all these stitches
when the walking foot is being used with backing and batting. Ask me how I know ? I tried to experiment but
think many times the Stitch in the Ditch works very well if you don't want to do free motion stippling.

I would do all over design . Love you quilt.

I just did a diagonal using blue painters tape as a guide. Very easy. Then a simple motive in the yellow squares. Maybe use a multicolored thread in the same colors.

I was going to suggest this method. I just finished a large 9-patch on point & 2 bed runners not on point. Quilted one bed runner in the ditch & just continued the stitching right through the solid square. The colored thread makes it stand out on mine.

BEauty - Since this is your first and you may not be familiar with the Stitch in the Ditch - which is stitching right in the seam line of your two pieces - on the right side of the fabric. I might suggest practice on some scrap fabric sew some pieces together and try your hand at stitch in the ditch, also with your different stitches on the machine, find one you like and use that for your stitch in the ditch, one that will cross the seam line on both sides, that way rather than just stitch in the ditch, you won't be ripping out stitches, if you have problems staying in the seam line or (ditch) with your stitching. I don't have much of a problem with the SID, but I also like to add a little flair, so I often use one of my decorative stitches on my machine. This also looks good on the back. I too like the idea of varigated thread. That would really look nice. Be sure to post pic. when you are finished, and welcome to the wonderful world of quilting. Now you are hooked, so have fun.